A Chaotic Quest
by Kittyaceres
Summary: (Percy Jackson Chaos Warrior fic) (has an OC) Capable young heroes from all over the galaxy suddenly disappear to the dismay of their families. Several years after Percy Jackson is one of these heroes, war breaks out. Chaos's innocent façade fades away and his true reasons for assembling his army is revealed. (Really slow updates) (Full summary inside)
1. Reference Sheet

Full Summary: The powerful and terrible god Chaos helps miserable young people throughout the universe, people whose friends and families have completely given up on them despite their charisma and power (I'll ask you: were they ever organically miserable?), by turning them into sergeants in his army. Somehow, someway, Percy becomes one of his sergeants. His sister becomes a member of a group called the "Pirates of Opposing Chaos," a group of the friends and families of Chaos's sergeants. Together, they decide that Chaos has caused enough trouble, and they call war on him, with help of a little-known protogenos (primordial deity) called Nothing. Their focus changes when they learn of Chaos's true plot for his army. Will good triumph over evil? Or will they succumb to the inevitable fate of losing to a superior force? (I really like tragic endings.)

* * *

Hi! I've got extra euphoria right now for some odd reason. I want to thank LovelyMunchie, without whom, this story would probably still be only an idea in my head. They also helped me with most of the names of Chaos's warriors*. Thank you!

This is just a reference sheet because you'll probably forget all those warriors' names, the Pirates' names too. I know that whenever I read a "Chaos fic" I always forget who is who and then they call them by their odd nicknames and I get confused. So, for this fiction, I promise to 1. not switch between first-person P.O.V.'s, and 2. whenever someone's name is referenced, I will always put their character's canon name as well. That way, neither one of us will get confused!

 ** _So, you can just skip this part for at least chapter three. Go on, I've got an epic prologue that you don't want to skip!_**

* * *

 **Chaos's Warriors:**

 _(*Name that LovelyMunchie found for me) (**OC)_

Ze Leader:

Percy Jackson, a.k.a. Alithis (uh-LEE-this); he has a gold-lined hood that signifies him as the leader.

Ze Lieutenant:

Luke Castellan, a.k.a. Ermete* (ER-me-te); he has a gold belt around his waist from which his sword hangs, and this signifies him as the lieutenant.

The Archers:

Zoë Nightshade, a.k.a. Atalante* (AT-tuh-LAN-tuh); carries a quiver & a bow

Bianca di Angelo, a.k.a. Gonia (GO-nyuh); quiver & bow

Phoebe, a.k.a. Theron*(their-OWN[probably wrong]); quiver & bow

Michael Yew, a.k.a. Velos (vay-LOS); quiver & bow

Blacksmith/Bombsmith:

Charles Beckendorf a.k.a. Forge

Medic:

Lee Fletcher, a.k.a. Jace*; he has a red cross on the front of his robes to signify that he is a medic(this is a habit only of Percy's squadron, because Earth post-American Civil War is the only place with the Red Cross).

Foot Soldiers:

Silena Beauregard, a.k.a. Beauty

Ethan Naukamura, a.k.a. Timí (tee-MEE or ti-MEE)

Castor, a.k.a. Trelos (trey-LOS)

Igor** a.k.a. Drakon

Milo** a.k.a. Storm

Anikin** a.k.a. Skywalker (I'm sorry; I just had to.)

Dorothy** a.k.a. Nova

Spy:

Nina Jackson**, a.k.a. (Thea [TAY-uh]) Tharros (There-OS); green-lined hood to let everyone know that Chaos hates her-I mean, that she's a spy; she is "spying" on the Pirates of Opposing Chaos

•-•-•-•-•

 **Pirates of Opposing Chaos:**

(These guys are all aliens and they're labelled in order of eldest to youngest)

(They are all siblings/lovers/best friends of a Chaos squadron leader, and they're all OC's.)

Galegar: (GAL-uh-GAR)

Captain of the Pirates of Opposing Chaos (no, he didn't pick out the name)

Older brother of Galidogar; son of Gar, the god of direction and travellers on his home planet Glenidra.

Appearance: 6'1"; extremely bulky like a truck driver; thin, black wisps of hair that you never see from under his pirate captain hat. big, graying beard.

Rhulid Kesseth: (RUE-lid KES-eth)

Twin brother of Astra Keseth (Astra is a girl); son of Yikrath, the war god on his home planet Rarida

Appeaarance: 5'8"; feline-humanoid with big ears, retractable claws on his hands and feet, and a brown furry tail. He is covered with short brown fur and darker stripes. green eyes like a cat's

Qerissa Yalath: (kuh-RIS-uh YAL-uth)

Half-sister of Mywren Balewyn; daughter of Thawr, the god of magic on her home planet Asilinia

Appearance: she looks human (as many of them do), with straight, red hair and bright purple eyes (like, unnaturally purple.) 5'3"

Porcian Gung: (PORE-SEA-un GUNG)

Lover of Lomannor Arylind; daughter of Herib, the god of the earth and nature on her home planet Gebiterra

Appearance: 5'2"; furry, pale brown; brown doe eyes on the sides of her head; large, deer-like ears that stick up; and a small, stumpy, deer tail.

[For (hopefully) obvious reasons, she and Rhulid do NOT get along)

Brielle Kille: (bree-EL KEEL)

Twin sister of Brielle Tille (In their culture, the last names come first); daughter of Tallend, the god of the dead on her home planet Ocaunna

Appearance: 6'0"; basically an ant and a human rolled into one; shiny black exoskeleton in three segments with two appendages coming out of each, bottom two used for walking top four are arms; no hair multi-lensed eyes; antennae;

Agralle Llarith: (uh-GRALE LAIR-ith)

Lover of Brielle Tille (Tille is a girl); son of Vorema, the goddess of the sun on their home planet Ocaunna.

Appearance: 4'11" (shortest on board) kind of like Brielle, except for brown and much smaller.

(In Ocaunnan culture, because they are bugs, the females are _much_ larger than the males, and that's just how it works in the insect world [My biology teacher showed us two insects he had caught of the same species, a male and a female, and they were of such varying sizes that you would not even think that they were the same species. And obviously the male was smaller.] The females are treated with much more respect, and the males are basically just there for reproduction.)

[I had the most fun making these two, obviously.]

Adwin Calihind: (ADD-win CA-luh-HIND)

Younger brother of Taedric (TAY-drick) Calihind; son of Asic, god of intuition on their home planet Ibacia.

Appearance: curly brown hair; deep, brown eyes; pretty lanky; has long legs, like 5' long. He's also 9'7" (On the shrimpy side on his planet, where men average at 10')

Thea calls him "Frogger" because whenever he squats down to everyone else's height, he looks like a frog. (Plus, "Frogger" is much more mature than "Froggy," and "Frog" just doesn't have the right ring to it.) He tolerates it (and _maybe even_ enjoys his nickname)

His older brother Taedric is locked downstairs while they desperately try to do everything in their power to _restore_ his personality.

Thea Tharros: (I already told you how to pronounce her name!)

She's just Percy's cheerful twin sister. He and she have (well _had_ , now that Arcanus's spell is in place) the same powers, except she was better with the mystical powers (slightly) and worse at combat (again, slightly).

Fraehan Crilasean: (FRAY-un CRIH-luh-SHAWN)

Best friend of Frelidan Prevan; son of Siri, goddess of color on his home planet Faumas.

Appearance: 5'4" (and he's so young, he's still growing.), looks pretty much human except for he's royal blue all the way down to everything except the whites of his eyes and his teeth. and his pupils.

On Faumas (his planet) they have this wonderful fruit called hubuzu, which Thea is in love with, purely for the fact that, like Fraehan, it is totally blue. He is going to find a blue macaw that is going to be attached to him and not even the law will be able to keep them apart. (It's name is going to be Zuzu)

•-•-•-•-•

 **Eduranians:**

(All OC's)

Arcanus: The one who got us all into this big huge mess. Chaos flattered him into creating a spell and it, in turn, destroyed his planet and kidnapped the minds of capable young-folk throughout the universe via his doppelganger (whose appearances changes to accommodate to that of the inhabitants of each planet.) The only way to permanently stop his spell once it has begun is to kill or debilitate the caster. Arcanus has not once cast the spell.

Fatal flaw: when people are pushing him down, he struggles with standing up to them.

Solli: His sister, who died on Eduran, who loved him very much. She was training to become an amulet salesman, so she got a hold of a trident-like amulet and gave it to her brother, which was how he managed to escape Eduran. His only impediments were emotional.

Torque: Amulet salesman who trained (and fell in love with) Solli. He is the one who gave her the amulet which she gave to her brother.

 *****Note: Every single Eduranian who died when Chaos destroyed their planet is a ghost, for Eduranians have no religion, and no afterlife to go to.**

 **Other stuff:**

Arcanus's ship: The Accursed Faith. (credit to LovelyMunchie)

Maverick Ibswen: The first person Chaos used his spell on. (aside from that little boy)

 **Planets in ze Universe:**

 _(Only the ones bearing life; all other than Earth are fictional.)_

Earth

Eduran

Faumas

Gebiterra

Glenidra

Ibacia

Ocaunna

Rarida

Penna


	2. Prologue

Chaos strolled the streets of Eduron. He was quite proud of this world. Much like Earth, yes, but the people here were much more skilled in wielding the power they possessed. And he needed that.

He swatted away a flyer shaped like a bird. He knew where he was going and couldn't afford to be distracted. He walked into a shop. The vendor who owned the place whispered softly from behind the counter as he bended over a box, writing on it. The ink disappeared as soon as it was applied.

Chaos watched silently as the vendor took the set the box on the counter. He snapped his fingers, and the box disappeared.

"Good morning," Chaos said.

The vendor jumped slightly and scratched his dark blonde hair. "Morning, sir. How may I help you?"

"I have a special spell set in my mind. Would you like to hear it?"

The vendor nodded and listened to Chaos's plan. He fiddled with one of the buttons on his shirt as he listened.

"But, if you're a god, why would you need a spell from me?" he asked skeptically. "I mean, couldn't you make it by yourself?"

"I could, yes, but things like this are always better when created by a professional," Chaos wheedled. The vendor blushed with pride. "Plus, mortals have one thing immortals don't: creativity."

"Okay, I'll do it," he said, holding his hand out to Chaos.

"Yes, Arcanus." Chaos clasped his hand. The vendor's eyes glowed demonic red. "Yes you will." Chaos let go of his hand.

Arcanus stumbled back. His eyes changed back to brown.

"Arcanus, there is one more thing I want. I want the spell to have a quality to completely erase the victim's personality." Without hesitation, Arcanus agreed.

* * *

Arcanus worked hard on that spell. He needed for it to give a person great strength, several magical powers, and resistance to the fatigue that always came after performing magic. And then, there was the entire personality wiping.

His little sister watched him around the clock. "A _god_ gave you this task?" she asked skeptically. "But there's no such thing. They're just bedtime stories."  
"He was _real_ , Solli."

"Sure he was! I'm also from the planet Earth and I run around half-naked shooting fellow humans for sport," she said sarcastically.

Arcanus laughed. "Actually, Earth is real."

"I don't believe you."

"It is!" Solli crossed her arms. "Solli. Chaos told me. He told me how he created this world, as well as Earth."

"Where is Earth?" Solli asked.

"On the other side of the universe. On the other side of a black hole. Invisible to even the best astronomer."

"How do you know this?"

"Well, Chaos told me. I did also search for it, though," Arcanus said.

"You're not the best astronomer," Solli teased.

"But I am the best sorcerer."

"This is true," Solli said.

"I mean, why else would Chaos have come to _me_?" Arcanus asked. Solli's smile died. "Now, run along, sis. I'm busy."

"What? So soon? But-"

"Go."

Solli trudged out of her brother's shop sullenly. _Chaos, Chaos, Chaos._ That's all he ever talked about anymore. Who would trust a person with a name like Chaos anyway? He seemed like the kind of guy who would be able to go to total anarchy just to get something he wanted. _Chaos_ was not the name of a benevolent person.

Solli swallowed her jealousy. She neared the trinkets cart. She had always yearned to work someplace like this, and now she was his apprentice! How exciting.

"Hey, Silly Solli. Ready for another lesson?" her mentor, Torque, smiled at her from the other side of the cart. He wasn't really that much older than her; he had inherited the cart from his father, who died tragically young. Solli tentatively returned his smile and nodded.

Torque pulled out a couple of amulets. "Okay, tell me what these ones do." He lay them down one by one.

 _Love, love, love, love…_ Solli smirked at him. "Are we working on love today?"

"Not necessarily…" Solli stared into his blue eyes,and then looked away, blushing madly.

"Well then give me a challenge, Torque!"

Torque laughed. He pulled a handful more of of not-yet-strung amulets and set them on the table. "If you get it right, you can string it," he said.

Solli did get most of them right. She picked up a strange symbol that looked a bit like a trident. "What's this one?"

"I just learned about that one. The people across the Idatic Sea swear that if you wear it, you'll be protected from just about anything." He thought for a moment, and added, "Except for hurt feelings, I guess."

Solli put it back down. Her brother flashed through her mind, and she fingered it again.

"Whoa, what's wrong?" Torque put a hand on Solli's arm.

"I'm worried about Arcanus."

"Why?"

"He's been acting different. He's so...obstinate all of a sudden. And about bedtime stories!" Solli sighed.

Torque lifted an eyebrow. "Bedtime stories?" He leaned over to her and whispered, "Y'know, I heard that all legends hold a grain of truth."

"But...gods? Other planets? Other...humans? It's a little hard to believe."

"Well, it would be rather arrogant of us to believe that we're the only lifeforms in the universe," Torque told her. "These 'Earthlings' could be real. Although, I doubt they're as intelligent as you and me."

"But some guy came up to him claiming to be the creator of the universe! I don't trust him." Solli threw her hands up in exasperation and looked at him. _Do you understand?_

Torque gazed into her oh-so-beautiful face. Such a beautiful face didn't deserve to be in such distress. He pulled some twine from his pocket. He took the protection symbol from Solli's hands and quickly and expertly tied them together. "Give this to your brother. He might need it." Solli accepted the amulet in her palm. She thanked him, pecked his cheek, and ran home. Torque watched her leave dreamily.

* * *

Nearly a month later, Arcanus docked his ship. He did it! He actually travelled to Earth and back! He wondered if Solli would like the tapestry he brought back. It showed one of their legendary heroes slaying a "Nemean Lion."

"Arc!" Solli came running up the street. "You're back! You're back!" She threw her arms around her brother's neck.

"I missed you too, sis. You'll never believe where I've been."

"You were gone a long time. Let me guess, Areanna? Gendanthra?" Solli's eyes were bright with excitement.

"No. Greece."

"Greece?"

"On the planet Earth," Arcanus added. Solli cocked her head. "I've got a gift for you." Arcanus grabbed her hand and pulled her onto his ship. He used it to travel all over Eduran for ingredients for his spells. It was much bigger than it would seem it needed to be, big enough to hold a crew of twenty. The only reason he would own a boat so big when he generally travelled alone was pirates. Pirates usually got bored if they couldn't find anything at first. Its cabins were also such a maze that if any pirate got close, he could defend his treasure from them.

Arcanus opened the door to the cabin with the present for his sister. She gasped. Solli wandered over to the amazingly woven tapestry and stroked it softly to test its authenticity. "What does this do?" she asked.

"It's just for decoration. That guy on it-the one in the skirt with the sword?-he's a major celebrity. His name is Heracles, and he's named after one of their goddesses, Hera. For some reason, they don't like each other, and she made him do all these tasks, killing the Nemean Lion for example."

Solli giggled. "Why is he wearing a skirt?"

Arcanus shrugged. "Everyone in Greece wears skirts. Don't ask me. Come on, let's go put this in your room." He pulled the tapestry from the hooks he had hung it from, bundled it up, and left the ship. Solli followed closely, so as to not get lost.

"I can't believe it! Earth is real!"

"It's hard to believe at first," Arcanus agreed. "Earth is beautiful. Mostly sea, though. I accidentally landed in the middle of the sea. I was stranded for a week! But a god saved me."

"A god? Come on now."

"Yes, an actual, living, breathing god. He showed me the way to Greece."

"I don't believe you." Solli unlocked the door of their house.

"Well, Earthlings don't glow and disappear when you're twenty leagues away from civilization, Solli. Besides, when I told locals about it, they stared at me like I was crazy and talked about 'Poseidon.' Chaos told me that Poseidon is their god of the sea," Arcanus recalled. Solli pursed her lips and shook her head.

They walked to Solli's room. Arcanus dropped the tapestry onto her bed with a plop.

"If we move that desk, we could put the tapestry up on that wall," Solli suggested.

For the rest of the day, they allowed Arcanus to settle in. He showed Solli the wheat he had brought home.

"You went to another planet...for wheat."

"Not the wheat! You see this brown stuff growing on it? They call it _mýki̱tas_. It's got a hallucinogenic power. Basically Earthian magic," Arcanus explained.

"It's still wheat." Solli remained obstinate that it was just wheat. Eventually, Arcanus conceded just to shut her up.

* * *

Arcanus was floating. He didn't know where he was, for all he could see was a blackish void. His night clothes rippled in an imaginary wind. The silence of the place deafened him. Arcanus tried to look around, he wasn't even sure if he was turning around at all.

His heartbeat grew rapid and his breathing grew ragged. He pawed at his eyes.

Suddenly, light and color invaded the blackness, creating an endless swirl. Arcanus couldn't discern if it went clockwise or counter-clockwise; it seemed to go both ways at once. He watched it, amazed, as the color changed from red to green to blue to orange to purple to yellow and even to colors he couldn't name. It was a calming chaos.

And the smell! Arcanus smelled everything from bacon to grease to dung to fresh-cut grass. The scents went on and on, some more pleasurable than others.

It was cold and hot and comfortable at all the same time. This annoyed him, because he wanted to rip his clothes off from the unbearable heat but also draw them around him from the frigid cold at the same time.

The only sense missing was sound.

"Arcanus."

Arcanus jumped, or he would have, if he had anything to jump from. He looked around to see who had spoken. The voice seemed to come from the chaos itself.

"I am growing impatient, Arcanus."

Arcanus recognized the deep, raspy voice of Chaos. Obviously, he was demanding the spell he had ordered. And, no one else mispronounced his name that way.

"It's only been two months...your, uh, godliness."

In front of him materialized another version of himself. He wore a plain red shirt and blue jeans tucked inside of brown boots. He had the same brown eyes and dirty blonde hair as Arcanus, except he didn't seem disoriented by the madness. He hovered as if he stood on flat land. He glared at Arcanus.

"'It's only been two months.'" he repeated. "I know of inferior magicians who could do it in two _days_ , Arcanus." It is truly a strange experience to be reprimanded by yourself.

Arcanus ran a hand through his hair. "I'm nearly done! I need another week!"

Arcanus's doppelganger held up three fingers. "You have three days."

" _Three days?!_ I can't finish in that time!"

"I will come to collect three days hence." His doppelganger held his hand out. As it came closer, pain bloomed in Arcanus's chest. Before he could be touched, Arcanus was ripped from the dream and back into reality. He gasped for air and found himself sweating.

His sister had put the amulet on his chest, and now she stood by his bed. "You weren't wearing this."

"I took it off, so it wouldn't strangle me in my sleep," Arcanus said.

Solli's expression matched that of Arcanus's dream doppelganger. "How's an amulet meant to protect you going to strangle you?! Put it on now!" Startled by her sternness, Arcanus sat up quickly and lifted the twine around his neck. Solli blushed. "Sorry, I was just concerned."

"Why are you in my room so late?" Arcanus asked.

Solli blushed harder. "Oh, I was wanted to tell you I was going out…"

"Why-where are you going in the middle of the night?" Solli didn't answer, looking away. Arcanus grinned and poked her in the side. "Who are you meeting up with, huh?" he teased.

Solli covered her face. "It's no one; forget it!"

Arcanus poked her some more.. "Who does my little sister have a crush on? Eh? Come on, tell me."

Solli giggled. "Mercy! Mercy! I'll tell you; I'll tell you!" Arcanus stopped poking her. Solli pursed her lips, smiling. "Torque," she whispered.

"The amulet seller? The one you're apprenticing from? Hmm, I should have known something would have happened between you two," he mused. Solli stared down at her feet, embarrassed.

"Well, I'd better get going," she whispered.

"Have fun, you! Don't stay out too late. Be careful." Arcanus followed her to the doorway and shouted things like this until he heard the front door slam.

He smiled, happy for his sister. He lay back down on his back and let his mind mull over his dream. His heartbeat quickened at the thought.

He rubbed his solar plexus; he could still feel a ghost of pain there. He pulled off his shirt and inspected it. His chest seemed a little red. He frowned and put his shirt back on, lying back on the bed.

Making a deal with a god was a bad idea. He genuinely couldn't finish it in three days. The ergot was mixing with the rest of the ingredients, and that would take five days. Then he needed to test it, which wasn't going to be easy. Who would agree to have their personality completely wiped?

He regretted ever saying yes. He shouldn't have done it. Never.

Arcanus shut his eyes to sleep.

 _Why couldn't I just have declined? Anyone who claims to be a god is absolutely insane._

Arcanus rolled over.

 _He was a persuasive bastard. If I had declined, that would have been admitting defeat to myself._

Arcanus rolled over to the other side.

 _Never again. If anyone claims to be a god, I'll just kick them out of my shop._

Arcanus tried to sleep on his stomach.

 _What will he do when I don't have it ready?_

Finally, he gave up. Arcanus sat up and fingered the amulet. It was a peculiar little trinket, meant to protect him. He had a strange feeling he would need it.

He got up and went into the room where the ergot was mixing with the rest of the ingredients. He had stripped the fungus from the wheat. Then he had put it into a fermentor connected to his weird little contraption.

To create it, he had cut an hourglass in half. Once he had ensured that all the sand was gone, he had started with one of the bases. Two glass tubes circled around each other leading up to two other hourglass bases. In these, he put his ingredients when he wished to mix them. It was much easier than doing it by hand, and safer at times.

Right now, the already-mixed ingredients sat in the dish on the left, and the ergot fermented in the right. He had charmed them so whenever essence of ergot would slip through, the proper amount of everything else would too.

He watched as a little stream of essence of ergot slid down the tube. The other ingredients followed suit. Because the ergot was not Edurian, it mixed painfully slowly.

Maybe he could use a little magic to speed up the process. But of course, that would make it less powerful. It hurt his pride to do it.

* * *

Three days hence, Arcanus took the finished spell (It was truly a miracle he finished it in time.) and flew his ship to a field in the middle of a field inland from his home, Cheritha. He stood waist-deep in grasses, waiting.

While he waited, he tucked the protection amulet underneath his shirt. He turned up his collar to hide the string.

Ten minutes passed before a swirling, black portal appeared in front of him. Chaos came through, dragging a young boy in a toga. If not for the toga, Arcanus would have assumed he were from Eduron. The young boy was crying and trying to pull away from Chaos.

"No, please, lord, please don't kill me! I'll do anything! Pleeeeeeeeeaaaase!"

"Hush, boy!" Chaos's bruteness with such a young boy caused Arcanus to step back in surprise. Chaos turned his attention to Arcanus. "Well, do you have it?"

Wordlessly, Arcanus nodded and handed the bottle to Chaos.

Chaos let go of the boy's wrist to uncork the bottle. The young child ran away. _Other way,_ Arcanus urged him, _civilization is the other way!_ Luckily for the boy, he was hardly taller for the grass, meaning it would be harder to find him the further he ran.

Pale blue fog swirled around Chaos. When it penetrated through his cloak, Chaos stood taller as if he were gaining strength, which Arcanus supposed he was. Chaos held his hand out to the boy, who was still running for his life. Nausea washed over Arcanus as he saw his doppelganger from his dream appear in front of the boy.

"Shh... it's all right. I'm not going to hurt you." Arcanus whimpered. That was _his_ voice.

 _Don't believe him! Don't trust him! He's just a mirage! All he'll do is destroy your life._ His doppelganger scooped up the now calm boy.

"Civilization is that way, silly!" his doppelganger said, walking the boy back over to them.

Arcanus glanced over at Chaos to demand how he could do something so horrible to someone so young, but fear froze his tongue. Chaos was glaring at him. Usually, nothing could be seen from under the god's hood, but now two golden irises stared at him.

"You have done well, Arcanus."

Arcanus swallowed hard.

"I have no use for you anymore."

Arcaunus nodded fearfully and turned in the direction of his ship.

"This makes you _indisposable._ "

Arcanus broke into a run. He felt something like a shove from behind. He looked behind himself to see black tendrils retracting into Chaos's outstretched hand.

"What?!" Chaos growled.

Arcanus swallowed his fear and stopped running. "You can't hurt me. Just take your stupid spell and _leave_!"

Chaos laughed thunderously. Oh how Arcanus immediately regretted his decisions. He was an idiot. "Are you sure I can't hurt you, Arcanus?" An _idiot_!

Arcanus's doppelganger disappeared, leaving the boy to drop to the ground. Chaos stepped backwards into a portal that appeared out of nowhere.

 _Was it over?_ Arcanus asked himself when the portal disappeared. Why would Chaos just disappear out of nowhere like that.

"Why-why is the ground turning black?" the boy asked. Indeed, where Chaos had stood, the ground turned into a brittle black rock: the plants died, and when the boy curiously touched it, he turned to ashes.

Arcanus froze as the circle expanded outwards toward him. He stumbled backwards and retreated to his ship. He flew it to the sky, just above the atmosphere. All he could do was watch as his planet was reduced to nothing but charcoal.

When it was over, a lump formed in his throat. His planet...his people...his friends...his sister… All of them gone, and there was nothing he had done to stop it. There was nothing he could do to undo it or to fix it. And the worst part was that he had caused it. This was his fault. Arcanus broke into tears.

* * *

 **A/N: So, like I said, _really slow_ updates (and if I didn't say it, there are going to be _really slow_ updates). From now on, if I have a chapter ready, it's going up on a Friday.**


	3. Chapter 1

**I would have posted yesterday, but I got grounded (on Wednesday) because I am a violent person. Anyway, my parole was supposed to come tomorrow, but my mom allowed me parole today if I did something "kind" for my brother. It took three drafts, but I finally managed to write a seemingly sincere letter of apology.**

 **Also, I'm still actively writing this, so the reference sheet will probably change every time I post. Just a warning. I added the planets and a bit on Thea (Nina) this time around.**

* * *

 _Earth~Today_

"This is it. This is the summer!" Nina exclaimed.

Percy looked over at his sister. "What's so special about this summer?"

"This is the summer that no bad things happen to us. Got it?" Nina asked, well aware that it was never their fault that the Fates wanted them to have an eventful life.

Percy shoved his hand over his sister's mouth. "Shh…don't jinx it!" Nina laughed and pulled his hand away. "Come on, we need a good hiding place for the flag. We're up against Annabeth," Percy said, changing the subject.

Nina nodded. "You take that edge of the woods. I'll take this one," Nina suggested. Percy and she fist-bumped each other before splitting up.

She wandered around the woods, looking for the perfect hiding place. All of these were just too obvious. Maybe it was legal to just bury the flag in the ground. During all of her years at camp, no one had tried that. Nina's search was stopped short by a man in a black cloak that completely covered his face muttering to himself.

"Strong…undefeated…Perseus would make a fine sergeant…" he mused.

Nina grunted softly. _I shouldn't be hearing this,_ her rational side told her. And yet, she couldn't help but think, _what the Hades does this dude want with my brother?!_ The man had heard her grunt, and he turned her head sharply towards her. A tingle ran down her spine. Nina tried to turn and run, but his glare literally froze her in her place.

He growled angrily and shoved his hand out to her, muttering in an indecipherable language. Next thing she knew, she was knocked back five yards, had disappeared into the shadows. Blackness swallowed Nina, too, and she lost consciousness.

* * *

Nina didn't come to lunch that day. Percy grew worried, but he decided to check their cabin after archery if she didn't show up. She was probably just scouting around the forest and had lost track of time.

After checking the office, the infirmary, Rachel's cave, and the archery pit, Percy tracked down Annabeth.

"I can't find my sister."

Annabeth frowned. She figured he was yanking her chain and laughed a little. "Uh, where did you last see her?"

"We were in the woods, trying to find a new place to hide the flag for Friday's game," Percy said, his face dead serious.

Annabeth realized it wasn't a joke. "You split up?" Percy nodded. Annabeth shook her head. "You should know by now that you're not supposed to go in the woods _alone_ , Seaweed Brain!"

"We can each handle the monsters in there, Annabeth."

"Come on, let's see if she's not some monster's dinner," Annabeth said, striding to the woods.

"You're kidding right? My sister can take care of herself. Wise Girl? Please tell me you're kidding." Percy followed her.

Annabeth forced a smile for him. "It is unlikely that the monsters will be nibbling on her bones as we speak. Besides, if you have such faith in her, why are you so worried?"

"Because! I don't know! She's my sister!" Groaning, Percy ran his fingers through his hair. "I feel like this is my fault," he said.

Annabeth paused. They were a couple of meters into the forest. She put her hand on Percy's shoulder. "She'll be fine, don't you worry. We'll split up, but _stay within earshot_."

Roughly fifteen minutes later, Annabeth shouted Percy's name.

Nina was lying still on her back, eyes wide open. "Nina!" Percy dropped to his knees and grabbed her wrist. Heart still beating. He looked at his sister's calm expression. She didn't seem to notice or care that he was hunched over her. Percy waved his hand over her face. "Nina?"

Annabeth softly shook Nina's shoulder. "This is weird; this is really weird," she said.

Percy poked her face. "Nina, Nina!"

Nina blinked slowly. They shook her a little more until she woke up groaning.

"What happened?" Annabeth asked.

Before Nina could respond, Percy squeezed her. "What day is it?" she murmured into her brother's shoulder.

Percy pulled away. "Monday... Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Nina rubbed her eyes and winced. "No," she corrected.

"What happened, Nina?" Annabeth repeated.

Nina clutched her head. "I—I think—" She cried out in pain and took a couple of deep breaths.

"Come on, we'll take you to the infirmary," Percy said. Annabeth and he dragged Nina to her feet, and they half-led, half-carried her to the Big House.

* * *

"Okay, what happened?" Will repeated.

Nina took a swig of her nectar. "All I remember is that Percy and I split up in the woods to survey for a hiding spot for Capture-the-Flag."

Percy and Annabeth told Will how they had found Nina in the woods, unmoving with her eyes open.

Will took a look at Nina. "Are you sure you can't remember anything?" He looked at Percy and Annabeth. "She was on her back, yeah? Rules out fainting, and eyes open, that's weird."

"I remember that I passed out," Nina said, attempting to stay cheerful. She moaned at her migraine and finished off the nectar and yawned.

Will took the empty glass from her. "Concussion. Must have hit your head hard. Memory loss is a common side effect. Is the nectar helping?"

Nina squinted. "Ow," she said softly.

"Why isn't it working?" Percy asked.

Will shrugged. "She should sleep." He turned to Nina. "You'll feel better in the morning. You should stay here for the night."

Nina nodded and yawned. "Okay, night."

* * *

Except she didn't. The next morning she woke up with even worse of a headache, and more amnesia.

It took her a second to recognize the boy sitting next to her bed.

"Are you feeling better?" Percy asked.

"Uh…" Nina stalled, trying to remember his name. "Yeah, n-no."

Percy frowned. "Does your head hurt still?"

"Yeah. Percy, I'm scared," she said in a small voice.

"Why?"

"I just…never mind," she whispered. She didn't want to admit that she couldn't remember her own brother.

As the week progressed, Nina only got worse. Her memory loss got worse, and her muscles started cramping up. Percy dutifully wheeled her around in a wheelchair. After a few days, Percy managed to convince Chiron and Will to let Nina stay in their cabin. Only by the time next Monday rolled around did Nina start to feel better.

"This was supposed to be the summer where nothing exciting happens," she complained, waking him up. A large grin was plastered onto her face.

Percy grinned, happy that his sister felt better. "You're wishing for too much."

"I don't care. I won't stop hoping until it finally comes."

They laughed. Finally, finally, things were coming back to normal. Nina claimed that she felt ecstatic, elated, and happy. The day seemed trivially normal. But that was good. Normal is good. It was a good day.

Until _he_ came. Their mysterious new brother.

Arcanus, he called himself, strolled right into the Poseidon cabin that evening and sat down on Percy's bunk. Percy was brushing his teeth at the time.

Thinking it was Percy, Nina swung her head over the rail of the top bunk and said, "Hey Percy? If someone—oh, you're not Percy. Um…"

Pain blossomed in her chest and flared to everywhere else in her body. She screamed out in pain, and lost her balance. She flipped over the railing and landed on her back on the floor, writhing in pain.

Percy ran out of the bathroom to his sister, who lay crumpled on the cabin floor.

"P-P-Percy, I-I—" She coughed, squeezing her brother's hand. Blood trickled out of her mouth.

"Nina, Nina." Percy looked around. His eyes landed on Arcanus. "Go to the Big House, get Chiron! Tell him that Nina fell and she needs First Aid!"

Arcanus's eyes flickered over to the door lazily. He neither uttered a word nor moved an inch.

"Percy," Nina whispered. "I love you."

Percy cradled her. "Shh, don't talk like that. It'll be okay, I promise." Nina coughed up more blood into his shirt. "I know! Nectar!" He laid Nina down carefully. "Be right back." He dashed into the bathroom, where a canteen of nectar sat.

Nina struggled to breathe. She looked at Arcanus, who still sat on Percy's bed with a bored expression. As he stared at her, his brown eyes flashed red.

Nina was dead before Percy got back. "No, no, no, no, no…" Percy tried to force the nectar down her throat. It didn't work. He cradled her again, crying.

Pokerfaced, Arcanus got up from Percy's bed. He exited the cabin.

Percy was still holding his sister when he returned with Chiron and Annabeth. Annabeth knelt next to Percy and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," she whispered, shakily. Tears rolled down her face.

Chiron watched solemnly, knowing that nothing could be done.

* * *

 **A/N: Emotional Rollercoaster, huh? I promise it flattens out...a bit...in the next few chapters. Like, nobody dies.**

 **Haha, my mom just walked by and heard me laughing over the "nobody dies," and she asked, "Are you being mean to your characters?"**

 **So I replied, "Yeah."**

 **Mom said, "So am I."**

 **"I just killed one of them."**

 **"I just kidnapped one of them's children," she said.**

 **XD**


	4. Chapter 2

_Somewhere in the Universe; Several Millennia Ago~_

Several years had passed since the fall of Eduran, as Arcanus liked to refer to it. He hadn't once dared to go back. Who knew what he would see when he got there? Would he see a bunch of ghosts? Would he be able to stand having to tell them that he brought their demise? Arcanus lay on his bed aboard his ship and shivered. How would he tell Solli? How could he tell her that he had practically killed her? He held on to the amulet she had given him. He never took it off.

Now he worked hard to prevent Chaos from actually using his spell. He had no idea how many times that monster had used it. He went around the universe to see if anyone had suddenly lost a loved one for no apparent reason (no one had) and to recruit men and women who wanted to fight for his cause.

He had about twenty people. Volunteers were hard to find, especially when they learned that this was an interplanetary gig, and he was not sure of the actual risk. His most prominent confidantes were Fenwan, a florescent yellow person from Faumas whose personality matched his coloring and was his second-in-command; Galdrigar (boy, was his name a mouthful!) from the lovely planet Glenidra, and he could navigate the stars better than Arcanus could as the son of their navigation god, Gar; and Pylle of Ocaunna, and despite that she was literally a giant ant, she was one of the best fighters he had.

Fenwan had insisted that Arcanus give his ship a name, something he was reluctant to do. Fenwan had suggested names like "the Chaotic Ryan" and "Arcanus Is Mean," but none of them seemed to fit his ship. Especially not that last one.

A knock at the door. Arcanus sat up to answer, and he felt a tingle under his skin. The tingle faded away until Arcanus was totally numb. He ran his hand over the bed, feeling nothing. They knocked again, calling his name.

Arcanus got up, and tripped on his way over to the door. He cried out because of the pain in his skull, which also faded quickly.

Fenwan opened the door, hitting Arcanus by accident. He knelt next to him. Pylle and Galdrigar arrived in a heartbeat as well.

He heard them speaking to them, but their voices were drowned out by his realization: Chaos had used the spell. On Penna, to a young man by Maverick Ibswen.

He was breathing heavily when he finally sat up.

"What happened? That was scary," Pylle said.

"I had a vision. We're going to Penna. You know where that is, right?" he asked Galdrigar.

"Yeah, why are we going to Penna?"

"My spell has be been used there."

"The...evil one?" Fenwan asked.

"Yes, the evil one," Arcanus answered. The three of them shivered.

Galdigar got up and exited the room. From down the hallway, he called, "Setting course for Penna, Captain!"

Pylle helped Arcanus to his feet. "So what happens when we get there?"

Arcanus absent-mindedly stroked his amulet. "I don't know. I never got to test it."

Pylle shook her head. "Why, then, did you give it to him?!"

Arcanus crossed his arms. "He is impatient. My life was on the line. And then, he went and killed my planet. I was young and stupid, okay?"

Pylle was probably rolling her eyes, although Arcanus couldn't tell. Without a word, she left the cabin.

Only Fenwan remained. "I thought of a new name for the ship. You'll like it."

Arcanus sighed. "Tell me."

Fenwan rubbed his florescent yellow hands together. "The Accursed Faith," he said, spreading his hands out. He grinned at Arcanus, waiting for approval.

Arcanus rubbed his chin. "You know, I _actually_ like that. Let's go paint that on the side," he said.

Fenwan's grin hurt Arcanus's eyes, because of his bright color. Usually, he wore darker colors to not hurt anyone else's eyes.

* * *

 **There was actually a part of the main plot that was supposed to be here, but I got lazy while typing it up, so here enjoy this instead.**

 **Also, no. more. SCHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-**

 **(P.S. thank you to LovelyMunchie for the name of Arcanus's ship.)**

 **(Please review; I like reviews)**


	5. Chapter 3

_Earth~Today_

Percy was thrown into mourning. The next day, he met Poseidon on the beach. Poseidon had a fishing pole; the line was out to sea.

"Dad," he acknowledged.

"Hello my son." Poseidon's voice was solemn. He reeled the line in a couple times.

Not quite knowing what to say, Percy kicked at the sand. "So, uh, did you hear about Nina's death?"

"Yes." Poseidon looked at his son. "I came to give my condolences."

Percy watched the line. The awkwardness of the situation hung in the air.

"It has been so long since I have had to mourn for one of my children, forgive me if I sound indifferent," Poseidon said. Percy nodded.

"Yeah. Things'll get better," he muttered to himself, as a reassurance for himself. To Poseidon, Percy asked, "Are you coming to her burial ceremony tomorrow?" Asking Poseidon was a gamble; most gods wouldn't come, but Poseidon was a wild card. He could have come or have not come.

Poseidon reeled in his empty line and sighed. "I would, but gods are not supposed to show up to these things. And Zeus is still in the worst of moods over last summer, and the summer before that. Too risky, unless I want to be dangled over Chaos's pit." Percy nodded, He understood what Poseidon was saying, but it hurt to much to accept it.

"Hey, Perseus!" Arcanus walked across the beach to where they stood. He waved to Poseidon.

"Who's this?" Poseidon asked.

"Your son, _Arcanus I-don't-know-his-last-name_ ," Percy said.

Poseidon eyed Arcanus curiously. "Are you sure—" Arcanus glared at Poseidon, interrupting his train of thought. Percy was about to ask Poseidon how he could forget breaking the oath to not have more children not once, but twice. "Oh, no, no, no, I remember now," Poseidon said. He held a staring contest with Arcanus.

"Um...didn't you claim him?" Percy asked. "Yesterday, I assume?"

Poseidon didn't look away from Arcanus. "Yes…"

"So—"

"Perseus, can I talk to Arcanus? _Alone_?" Poseidon interrupted.

Arcanus grinned smugly. "Go on."

Percy repressed the urge to punch him in the face. Arcanus didn't even seem like a son of Poseidon. Up until now, he was much too respectful to be a son of Poseidon. Neither Percy, Nina, nor Poseidon liked to follow rules or plans. Arcanus didn't fit the mold aesthetically, either. His blonde hair was neatly combed to the side—much too neat for a child of the sea god. Almost every brother and sister that Percy had met had green eyes, unlike Arcanus's, which were a plain brown. For some odd reason, although he had arrived with no luggage whatsoever, Arcanus still wore the red t-shirt and denim jeans that he had shown up in. He must have been a fake.

Arcanus waved his hand condescendingly. "Go on," he repeated in a matching tone.

Poseidon interrupted Percy's winding up his punch by saying, " _Now,_ Perseus." Percy growled at Arcanus before turning on his heel and retreating to his cabin.

Annabeth visited him. They talked and went over to the Demeter cabin, who had offered to help him with Nina's was horrible at sewing, and, although Tyson had offered, sewing proved not to be his forte either. Arcanus also offered, but after that morning, Percy slapped him.

The finished shroud was green, with horses and assorted sea life running around the border.

For Percy, the next day was dreadfully slow. With the prospect of Nina's funeral, he felt like he was cradling her corpse in his arms all over again.

Percy watched, an hour before the burial, as Nico built up the fire. Percy was sitting in the last row of the amphitheater. Nico kept glancing up at him, or rather, two feet to his right. He climbed up to Percy.

"Hello."

"Hey, Nico."

Nico stared past Percy. Percy checked to see if anyone was behind him. "Um, what are you looking at?"

Nico turned his attention to Percy. "Sorry, it's just, there's a ghost next to you."

Percy looked to his right. "Is it NIna?

Nico pointed at the ghost. "Show yourself!"

It was not Nina. The ghost was a strong, middle-aged man. His ghostly, thinning, graying hair was neatly combed aside from a bad cowlick in the back. Worry lines lined his brown eyes, which peered at Percy pityingly. He wore a white pirate-style shirt under a fraying, brown vest with colorful stitches and bulges where pockets probably lined the inside, pants of a familiar material to the vest with several colorful patches, and black leather boots that were well-worn and dull. He wore a sword on his back.

"Hi…" Percy muttered.

"Hello, Percy. I am sincerely sorry for what has happened to your sister," the ghost said. His voice sounded not a day over thirty, although he had to be in his forties, at the youngest.

"How—how do you know my name?" Percy asked. "You're not a monster are you?" The ghost grimaced.

"He's been here. I first saw him yesterday. He probably heard someone call you Percy," Nico answered.

The ghost nodded. "I always try to warn my victims, but they never heed my warnings."

" _Your_ victims? Who are—who were you?"

The ghost looked at him. "My name is Arcanus." He pronounced his name differently than Camper Arcanus did. Instead of putting the emphasis on the _Ar_ , he put emphasis on the _can_. "I sensed his presence here, _Ar_ canus. He's why I came. He's trying to hijack you."

"Okay, look, Ar _can_ us. I've been hijacked before, and the way _Ar_ canus is doing it isn't the way it's done. Got it?" Percy tried to poke the ghost in the chest.

Ghost Arcanus looked confused. "I promise, the spell is in motion. Your denial just proves it so."

"What spell?" asked Percy.

"My greatest mistake. In my youth I got a shop from my parents. In this shop, I made and sold spells." Looking at Percy and Nico's looks of confusion, he continued. "This was not on Earth. Anyway, one day, the creator of the universe, someone I didn't even think existed, sauntered into my shop and demanded a spell. The very spell that's being used to hijack you, Percy."

"So, you struck a deal with Chaos," Nico summed up. "What's the spell do?"

"Hey, if I was under this spell, then why aren't I gone already?" asked Percy.

Ghost Arcanus shook his head. "It doesn't happen immediately. In the next three weeks you're going to out of here, cursing this whole place to hell. That's the nature of my spell. It gives you magical abilities: enhanced stamina, strength, and strategy and limited immortality, meaning you'll not get sick or age, but you can be injured and/or die in battle. But all these powers come at a price: your familial ties. Your friends, your family, they'll all be used against you."

"Why?" Nico asked, intrigued.

Percy scoffed. "You don't actually believe this bullshit, do you?"

"Well...he's not asking for anything in return for telling us. He doesn't seem like he wants anything in return, so, it doesn't seem like he's lying."

"All I want is for this entire mess to be undone," Arcanus said. " I want to have not done business with Chaos, to have died of old age on my planet, with my family, maybe even married. I want to not have been the cause of my planet's destruction, my sister's death, or the cause of the loss of many family members who had a lot going for them, all throughout the universe. But that's impossible. I'm not lying to you. I don't have a reason to."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Sorry, but I still don't believe you. You could just be pranking me."

Arcanus balled his fists. He lacked the courage to yell at Percy to cut his attitude and just believe him.

"I mean, I know that after finding out that Greek _gods_ and even Egyptian gods are real, I should be able to believe you, but...I just can't. I just can't believe that someone would go to all the trouble of doing this when they could just kidnap me and take me right then and there," Percy continued.

Arcanus knew exactly why Percy didn't believe him. "The spell is already affecting you."

Percy shook his head.

Arcanus pursed his lips. "At the very least, watch out for Arcanus, the camper. He is trying to ruin your life."

"Yeah, no kidding."

Camper Arcanus came running from the direction of the dining pavilion. "Hey, Perseus!"

Ghost Arcanus flickered out of sight.

"What do you want?" Percy asked.

Camper Arcanus faltered at Percy's coldness. Somehow, today he seemed much older than he had yesterday. "I-I wanted to tell you that I convinced Poseidon to come to your sister's funeral!" He thought for a second. "Well, _our_ sister's funeral, but you've known her longer."

"Really?" Percy asked skeptically. Arcanus must have done a lot of begging.

"Yup. He said he'd do it for his favorite son." Arcancus smirked.

"You mean daughter?"

"Yeah,and-and daughter, I suppose."

Percy smiled. Maybe Arcanus wasn't _all_ bad.

* * *

 **Please review; I like reviews.**


	6. Chapter 4

_Earth~Many Millennia Ago_

It had been a while since Chaos had visited Earth. His first daughter, Gaea, was asleep, and the mortals drummed on as if nothing had happened. They all worshipped Gaea's grandchildren now.

 _All—_ except for one. _Heracles._ Heracles, although viewed as a hero, was miserable. Chaos met him on his island at the Pillars of Heracles. How fitting a name for an island where Heracles was the main inhabitant.

He approached the demigod. "Hello."

"No autographs," Heracles said.

"I don't want your autograph," Chaos said. "You seem miserable."

"So, you're going to be a therapist. I don't need a therapist! Go away!"

"No, no, no. I am Chaos. I just wanted to talk."

"Chaos? Like the god?"

"Yes."

"Go away."

Chaos ground his molars. Heracles seemed quite the arrogant hero. No wonder he had such a falling out with Hera.

"Two minutes."

"I said leave! I don't care _who_ you think you are, get out!" Heracles turned away from Chaos and started heading into his house

"You have a problem with Hera, don't you?"

" _Go_. _away_."

"I can stop her," Chaos said.

"You can?" Heracles turned on his heel, his interest immediately piqued. He shook his head. "No. Impossible."

"I am Chaos. I create the rules, and I can break them."

"I'm pretty sure that not even you could hurt her. The rules are pretty specific. Only heroes can go wherever they want and challenge whomever they want. And gods _cannot_."

Chaos's golden irises glowed under his black hood in anger. He thrust his hand out to Heracles, who promptly fainted. When Heracles gained consciousness, Chaos bent over him, his irises still glowing. "Listen son, as bad as you think Hera is for an enemy, I'm worse. So when I say _talk_ , you _talk_. Got it?"

Heracles didn't want to, but he also didn't want Chaos as an enemy. The god was scary. "Fine."

Chaos's irises faded back into the nothingness of his hood. "Good. Don't doubt me. Should we take a walk?"

"Okay…"

"You're a hero, son, act like it."

"Yes, _sir!_ " he said sarcastically. He waited for Chaos to lose his temper again, but instead Chaos stared back at him patiently. "I suggest if we want a private conversation, then we had better go inside, don't you think?"

Chaos nodded, and the two walked into Heracles' home.

"So, how exactly could you stop Hera? Would you kill her? Is that possible?"

"I could, and we both know that the world would be happier without her." Heracles laughed. Chaos took a deep breath. "I don't think it would be best. We should take the subtlest plan-of-attack."

"For what?"

"To get you out of here, of course. We'll create an army. Our army will prevent gods from screwing with heroes like Hera's screwed with you."

"What?" Heracles interrupted, but Chaos continued talking.

"I mean, we'll have to change my base of operations from my pit to someplace hospitable for non-Chaos beings. Maybe I'll find a suitable planet somewhere."

"The plan sounds great. We'll just hop off of Earth and do that," Heracles said sarcastically.

Chaos's irises glowed once more.

"How? How are we going to do that? Sail off into the sunset? People have tried—there's nothing out there!" Heracles amended, not wishing to offend Chaos.

Chaos's irises continued to glow as he spoke: "The cosmos is _up,_ boy. The planets are up there. This place—your home, Earth, everything you've ever known—is just a pebble compared to the entirety of my cosmos. It's _puny_ compared to other planets, even those in your own universe."

"What do you mean?"

"Look up."

Heracles obeyed, and to his surprise, he saw the starry night. His question, _how?_ died in his throat. Chaos wasn't just a god; he was the ultimate immortal. Yeah, he could do these things if he wanted.

"See that planet—that one there? You mortals know of it as Zeus's home. It's much more than that. It's a ball of gas, as are all of the stars you see, including your own sun."

"Are you saying the sun is star? It can't be a star—it's much too big. It shows up in the day. Why don't the other stars do that?"

"It's closer. Much like a torch will drown out the candlelight in the homes in the distance, the sun drowns out the stars. I assure you—the sun is the same as all those stars—smaller, in fact, than most of them," Chaos explained.

"So, Zeus's home—he lives on a star?" Heracles was confused. Chaos had referred to Zeus's home as a ball of gas—like stars—but also as a planet.

"No! It isn't burning. It reflects the sun's light, like the moon."

"So, Helios doesn't drive the sun across the sky, and Selene doesn't drive the moon?"

"Precisely!"

The two sat there for a silent moment, gazing at the sky. "So, what does this have to do with our plans?"

"You see all those stars? All of them have planets going round them, much like the Earth goes round the sun. Who's to say that any of those planets doesn't support life? We could go there, build our army, and get our revenge on the gods." Heracles nodded, shook his hand, and so the deal was sealed. "Wait for me, as I ready our base," Chaos told him and disappeared. The ceiling returned, and it was day once more.

Heracles stared at the reddening sky. He thought about what Chaos had told him, and what they were planning to do together. Part of him soured at the thought of destroying his home, his gods, everything he'd known. Part of him felt it condign. This is what the gods deserved: they didn't want to solve their own problems, and in doing so, they caused their own downfall.

He sighed and retired to his bed for the night.

* * *

 **A/N: Haven't updated in over a year? Oops...I blame Tumblr. And Supernatural. Sorry.**


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